Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tamuning and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,251 in Tamuning, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Tamuning
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Tamuning Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tamuning

🇬🇺 Guam

$1,251

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tamuning and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tamuning and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,251 per month in Tamuning vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tamuning $1,251
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,799 per month in Tamuning vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tamuning $1,799
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,347 per month in Tamuning vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tamuning $2,347
Chiang Mai $1,914

Tamuning costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tamuning and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tamuning 7% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.94 $14.94

$2.26 ฿75.4

561.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 $55.8

$19.18 ฿641

190.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.92 $14.92

$5.59 ฿187

166.91%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$1.72 ฿57.6

223.26%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$0.64 ฿21.54

362.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.33 ฿11.18

275.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 $6.32

$2.36 ฿78.7

167.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$3.90 ฿130

290.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.05 ฿68.6

68.29%

White Bread (500g)

$6.77 $6.77

$1.40 ฿46.70

383.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.28 ฿42.89

86.72%

Eggs

$7.01 $7.01

$2.25 ฿75.3

211.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

Apples (1kg)

$8.18 $8.18

$2.40 ฿80.3

240.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.01 ฿33.92

199.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.61 ฿53.9

200.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.78 $7.78

$1.52 ฿50.7

411.84%

Potato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.28 ฿42.90

219.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.11 ฿37.22

157.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.65 $9.65

$4.33 ฿145

122.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 $12.09

$17.73 ฿593

-31.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.72 $19.72

$1.17 ฿39.18

1585.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.45 ฿48.32

-9.66%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.5K ฿684.3K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-0.85%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$453 $453

$62.3 ฿2,083

627.55%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$76.2 $76.2

$12.27 ฿410

521.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$92.3 $92.3

$19.97 ฿668

362.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$405 $405

$797 ฿26.6K

-49.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$464 ฿15.5K

176.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Tamuning: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tamuning

$622 49.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 84.8% $527

Eating Out

Tamuning

$310 24.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 74.5% $231

Groceries & Markets

Tamuning

$299 * 23.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 20.5% $61

Getting Around

Tamuning

$20 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 211% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Tamuning

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Tamuning

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Accommodation & Living

Tamuning

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,281 in Tamuning versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Tamuning versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇺 Tamuning

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

22:47 10:47 PM

3 h behind Tamuning

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,685

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Tamuning Chiang Mai 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tamuning
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tamuning vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tamuning costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,876 per month in Tamuning and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Tamuning and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Tamuning, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Tamuning at $1,251. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tamuning it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,251 in Tamuning. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tamuning makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.